Lubricating device



June 9,V 1925.

S. T. LESTER LUBRICATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 23, 1923 Mge/wm Armbfe'r.

June' 9, 192.5'. 1,540,943

' s. T. LESTER LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed May 25, 1923 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 9, 1925.

STEVEN T. LESTER, 0F EAST BIAKE'RSFIELD, eALIrORNI'A.

LUBRIcA-TING DEVICE.`

Appliciiori ileaivraly 23, 1923. serial No. 640,939.

To ZZ 9071.097?, it may concern: y u Be it known that I, S'I'EV T. Liis'rniz, it citizen of thel United States, resident oi East Balrerseld, county of Kern, and 'State ot California, here' invented new end'use- 'ful Improvements in Lubriciting Devices, of which the following' is fr specication, the principle of the in'ventioii being herein `ei:- pleined end the best I'node' in which I have contemplated applying* Vthat Ijriir'ciple so is to distinguish it from other inif'cntiofii's.

y invention relztes to lubric'ztting de# vices and pertic'i'ilerly to that class tl'lereol 'which is designed to supply the interior of :i chamber such als a. cylinder of e steil-m', air, ges or other similar engine or off e compressor wherein the pressure of the im-Y l'ielling ges or compressed' ,Qns Varies;

The object of the invention is to'proifide liilfrricating mechanism which Will- :tutor-natis cally end eiiici'ently operitt'e, which will supply :L defini-te predeter` rined :imount of lubricant and which will furtherbe cepztble ot' adjustment whereby the amount tot such lubricant so supplied muy be ytiied to suit specific conditions. Y

My said invention' consists of rrreens hereinafter fully described and perticu'lm'ly set forth in the cleims. l

More specifically my invention comprises ineens connecting a supply of lubricant' with Y the interior of such ch'znnber, snclr Ineens being Vcontrolled by the varia-tion o'l' pressure in the letter.

The iunliexed drawings and the following description set forth in `detatil certain ineens embodying `my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting` but one of various Ways in Awhich the principle of the invention may be pplied.

ln'seid annexed drawings;

Fig. 1 represents anuax'i'al section ein steam engine cylinder, showin-g the piston in elevation therein, .said cylinder being supplied with lubricating deyices enrbodyingr my invention and shownin side eieretion. f

Fig. 2 represents" a section, upon iin-fen'- larged scale taken upon the plane indicated by line Il-Ilijn Fig'. 1 and looking' in the direction indica-ted by the` arrows.

Fig. 3' represents a View similar tothzrt of Fig'. 2 showing,` the parts in a different posi: tin. i

. FigLfl represents' :t crossseection fte-ken upon the in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 represents sectional View of the l-ubricetor arranged for supplying locon'iotiwo cylinder 'with' lubricant' i'vhen either pulling, coasting or drifting.

' ln the illustrated en'ibod'iinent of niv vention es shown iirliigs". 1 to 3 in sive, the steofi'n cylinder 1 lists' each end pro'vided with L lubricating device embod 'ng ny invent-ion, so es to supply the interior ot the cylinder' with lubricant upon opposite sides ot the piston 2 each being :L dup'l'iczite of the other and operating* independently of each other but in precisely the same Way. -Eitcli cyl'iiider heed 3--`f:l, is provided with :i horizontfildnct l Whose oiiiteil end 5 is kelerg'ed und tapped to receive :inipple 6. This' nip`- ple hits screwed onto its outer end :rn elb'oy 7 `into Vwhich issereired :r yerticitl nipplel To 'the upper end of nipple 8 is screwed e coupling formed With un interior chamber 1 101y The upper end of this coupling :is counccted with en'oil tividi-,11J by ineens' of e downward-ly extending tube Whose lori-er end is provided ivi-h, e, Harnge' 13: secured to the coupling 9 by 1'nee`I`1s'-v of ai gland 14 to meh-e oil-tight connection. y The opposite ends of the nipple' S are formedwith` relive-seats and 16k respecl tively, Fig.` 2, and with these sects cof-opernte Viflvcs 17 and y 18 respectively, these falvesbeing inoifmit'ed on e eom-inon stein 19 of smaller diameter than 'the interiorl duct 2() of the nipple.A The uppereifid f the stem 19 is threaded at 21 and the Valve 18l is tal-pped toVV engage these threads, thereby peri m'itting seidhxfal'xfe to beadjusted relitti-rely to verb/e1?. The upper' end ot' valve 18 is provided with u inultilil-ioity o1 transverse slots 22, my oney of which may be inter'- se'oted by e.' Cotter-pin 23 passing through a suitable hole drilled in thev upper end of scid' valve-stem es shown in Fig.. Ll, thereby permittii-'ig seid reflye to' be fixed in position on snid stein. These two if'elves ere so ad- CSL Ico

justed` that when the one ,rallye occupies its Cil Seated upon the upper side of valve 18 is I a washer 24; and interposed between said washer and the upper'end 25 of the chamber is a helical or coil-spring 26 which urges 'or tends to urge the valve 18 and its attached parts downwardly so as to seat saidclose the upper end of the duct 20. AccessA of lubricant from the tank to the interior of the cylinder is thus cut off. Then steam is admitted into said side of the cylinder to move the piston, the pressure increases and raises valve 18 off its seat thus closing the lower end of duct 2O by causing the valve 17 to engage its seat 15. Oil thereupon flows from the tank into the duct 2O around the stem 19. During the course of the continued travel of the piston in the cylinder the pressure therein and on said side of the piston decreases until it reaches a point where the spring pressure exceeds that vof the steam and the upper end of the duct will be closed and the lower `end opened thereby permitting the oil in the duct to be discharged into theinterior of the cylinder as required. The pressure ofthe'spring is sutlicient to overcome thepressure in the cylinder during the exhaust and the valve 18 will remain closed during such exhaust.v

By adjusting the relationship to each other of the two valves, it will be seen that the amount of oil admitted into the duct 20 may be regulated and therefore varied so that Vjust the required amount of oil for proper lubrication of the cylinder may be supplied. f The device as above described is especially adapted for use in connection with an engine cylinderl in which the pressure of the ilnpelling steam or other gas is largely in excess of atmospheric pressure and in so far, therefore, as relates to a locomotive, it is adapted especially for lubricating the cylinders when the locomotive is pulling. In order, therefore, to economically and properly lubricate a locomotiveor other cylinder when the pressure on either side of the piston falls below that of the atmosphere, as for instance when the locomotive is coasting or when the piston is idling, during which .operation the pressure in the cylinder falls below that ofthe atmosphere, I have found it advantageous to utilize the construction shown in Fig. 5 at each endV of the cylinder. In this construction I provide the connection 8 with two branches 28 and 29. To the one branch 28 I attach the previously described lubricating device as shown. To the other branch 28 I attach a lubricating device constructed exactly the same as the said described device but omit the spring 26, as shown rin said figure. A common tank 11 may be provided for supplying lubricant to both of these devices by means of separate ducts as shown or, as will be readily understood, a single, duct may be caused to lead from the tank with branches leading to each of the lubricating devices.

, The last described device, therefore, will operate as follows: y

When the locomotive is pulling the lubrieatorsuppliedr with a spring 26 and attached to the branch 28 will operate exactly as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, and the valve 17 of the lubricator connected with the branch 29 will remain constantly closed, the weight yof this valve and the attached parts being such as will be overcome by the pressure in the cylinder during both the feed and exhaust of the steam. IVhen, however, the locomotive is drifting or. coasting, valve 18 of the spring-actuated lubricator will remain constantly closed but inasmuch as during such drifting or coasting` the pressure in the cylinder falls below thatA of the atmosphere, the valve 17 will open andthe valve 18 will close once for each cyclerof the piston thus admitting lubricant into the cylinder in the same manner as described in connection with said Figs. 1 to 3.

If desired a valve 30 may be interposed in the connection 8 so as -to shut off the lubricating device completely from the cylinder. y When this device is used for lubricating the cylinder of an air compressor, the spring 26 may also be dispensed with, inasmuch as Vthe reduction of pressure below that of the atmosphere, during the one stroke, will cause the lubricator to operate, Vas will be readily apparent to those skilled Vin the art.

It will be noted that a definite and predetermined amount of lubricant is admitted into the cylinder, the totalamount of lubricant is directly proportionate to the number of strokes of the piston, and hence may be measured with substantial accuracy.

What I claim is: i Y In a lubricating device, the combination of a source of lubricantprovided with two outlets; each of said outlets having one end of a couplingV attached thereto, each of said couplings forming an interior chamber; two nipples respectively secured to the other ends of said` couplings; a duct having` two branches, one of each of which is secured to the other end of said nipples respectively; and two valve stems respectively passing through said nipples, each of said stems having a valve member secured to opposite ends 'thereof and arranged so that when one Valve is open the other is closed; one only of said chambers having aspring,` seated therein ing,- to actuaire same to'zissnme its closed 10V position. f y Y Signed by me this 30th day of April, 1923.

STEVEN T. LESTER. 

